Whatever nation wins in the neocolonial land grab, multinational agribusinesses will come out on top. As we saw with the NAFTA in Mexico's designated rural sector, big agriculture's gain is the small indigenous farmer's loss.

The idea of "fair" trade is very appealing, whether confronting the plight of autoworkers in Michigan or farmers in the Third World. Unfortunately, it will be only a small part of any trade solution for the U.S. and the world as a whole.